The scholarship fund was established in memory of Wallace Q. French, a Somerset County native, who worked in environmental health in Wicomico and Worcester counties, and served as regional director of water and sewer for the Eastern Shore.

In 1987, a year after French's death, the TEHA inaugurated the annual Wallace Q. French Scholarship Golf Tournament. To date the tournament has raised over $78,000 toward SSU's environmental health scholarships, with this year's tournament raising $3,400. When the proposal, developed by Dr. John Molenda of SSU's Department of Biological Sciences with the assistance of the TEHA, to establish the environmental health undergraduate major at SSU was approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission they cited the strong local support by the environmental health community as demonstrated by the French scholarship.

According to Dr. Tom Jones, dean of SSU's Henson School of Science and Technology, the environmental health major at SSU is booming, with graduates being welcomed by both employers and graduate schools.

For more information on the TEHA Scholarship contact SSU's Alumni Relations Office at 410-543-6042.